A few months ago, Chris Bowness of Alair Homes Victoria, approached APEGBC (Association of Professional Engineering and GeoScientists of BC) with the prospect of hosting a Building Technology Construction Tour on one of Alair Victoria’s construction sites. Although this was a new concept to them, they quickly agreed that this would be a great learning opportunity for our APEGBC chapter.
As an alumni of the University of Victoria Engineering Department, Chris also brought the idea to a few professors. One of the first realizations that he had after graduating with a degree in Engineering was that he had at his disposal a great array of theoretical knowledge but lacked in actual real-life practical applications. Needless to say, the engineering students were excited at the possibility of taking engineering out of the classroom and onto a field trip.
After a few months of preparation, the Building Technology Construction tour took place early June with over fifty attendees. It was a look, feel, and touch ‘science world’ type tour exposed in the install stage of construction. There were eight stations in every tour. Presenters discussed the windows and siding, electrical, plumbing, roofing, structural components and the project management of Alair Homes. The attendees were curious, asked great questions, and (we’re hoping) able to take away something that would benefit them as an engineer or for their future renovations as home owners.
The eight stations were presented by either Chris, one of the project managers at Alair Homes Victoria, or one of the contractors that worked on the site. It’s been said before, but the value of assembling a great team of contractors on every job site is irreplaceable. It was easy to approach the contractors with this idea, and those that were in town for the event generously offered their time and expertise for the tours.
We’re looking forward to the next tour, construction tours will definitely become an annual
event. A huge thanks to the vendors that helped make this tour successful.